The full content of Annals is available to subscribers

Abstract

The picture of tuberculosis today contains its lights and shadows. The death rate is only about one-tenth of that in 1900, and the chance of acquiring the infection in childhood is less and less. Yet the disease is still the chief cause of death among those from 15 to 34 years of age, and it accounts for 3 per cent of all deaths in the United States each year. Those who fall sick with it and receive good treatment can now expect to live longer with recovered health than ever before. Toward this happy circumstance thoracic surgery is making important